FIA to change 'step nose' design for 2013

[Chris Jenkins]

Formula One looks set to prevent the cars of 2013 from being as ‘ugly’ as this season’s field.
Pirelli chief Paul Hembery recently called the 2012 generation, mainly featuring an awkward ‘step’ between the front of the monocoque and the nose, as “pig ugly”.
The odd look is the result of a compromise reached after the FIA decided to lower the tip of the nose in the name of safety.

It emerges that it was Red Bull – whose Adrian Newey pioneered the high chassis underside philosophy – who pushed for the monocoque height to remain the same as 2011, ostensibly so that small teams like sister squad Toro Rosso did not have to come up with entirely new monocoque and front suspension designs.
World champion Sebastian Vettel admits that the 2012 outcome “doesn’t look that nice”.
But he told Britain’s Sun newspaper: “For next year’s cars, the steps will be gone.”
Former Grand Prix driver Christian Danner said the current solution is “ghastly”.
“I think it will be fixed for next year,” he told Austrian television Servus TV.

Agreed Nick Heidfeld: “Yes, I am sure the FIA will make a few changes next year so there’s not such a huge hump.
“On the other hand, it’s like a few years ago when the rear and front wings were changed; it doesn’t look quite so bad once you get used to it.
“Of course, you’d always prefer something that looks nicer,” he admitted.

Source: Planet F1

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

“On the other hand, it’s like a few years ago when the rear and front wings were changed; it doesn’t look quite so bad once you get used to it.

Heidfeld, the man of reason. Totally true. We have been crying huge tears on the forums when they introduced the surfboard frontwing a few years ago. Nobody talks about this hideous wing anymore

 

[Hampus Andersson]

And the rear wing which was heightened and narrower, 09 cars looked like a piece of sculpted donkey-dodo the first few months but now going into 2012 it looks perfectly normal

 

[Ho3n3r]

I'm already used to it. As most people here seem to agree, it doesn't matter what nose it has as long as it's fast. Nobody believes that McLaren would say 'Well, at least ours was the prettiest' if they don't win jack.

 

[David Jundt]

Somehow, it sounds like a new rule of the FIA for 2013: "Cars must not be ugly/Cars are disallowed to look ugly".

A shame beauty's in the eye of the beholder. And it would be quite hard to write a regulation about when a car is deemed to be ugly.

Rule Paragraph 202.5, regulation 7: "Car must not be ugly. Cars that are found to break this rule will be forced to start from the back of the grid where they are harder to see for the spectator. If such car gets coverage during race, driver MUST pit to wear a mask over his helmet and put fake aero devices on his car resembling the cars pre-2009, to prevent the watchers complaining about eyesores. Coverage during qualifying doesn't have any consequenzes; Slow and ugly cars usually don't make the cut for Q2 so watchers won't be harmed."

Just kidding

 

[Victor Ivanov]

Heidfeld, the man of reason. Totally true. We have been crying huge tears on the forums when they introduced the surfboard frontwing a few years ago. Nobody talks about this hideous wing anymore

Yeah but the front wings changed so much compared to 2009. Now they look very good and I think you all remember the 2009 BMW front wing

 

[Chris Jenkins]

Somehow, it sounds like a new rule of the FIA for 2013: "Cars must not be ugly/Cars are disallowed to look ugly".

A shame beauty's in the eye of the beholder. And it would be quite hard to write a regulation about when a car is deemed to be ugly.

Rule Paragraph 202.5, regulation 7: "Car must not be ugly. Cars that are found to break this rule will be forced to start from the back of the grid where they are harder to see for the spectator. If such car gets coverage during race, driver MUST pit to wear a mask over his helmet and put fake aero devices on his car resembling the cars pre-2009, to prevent the watchers complaining about eyesores. Coverage during qualifying doesn't have any consequenzes; Slow and ugly cars usually don't make the cut for Q2 so watchers won't be harmed."

Just kidding

Hello McLaren championship!

 

[Eric Parker]

Racing cars should look cool. They should be the sort of thing that a 12 year old would want a poster of to hang on their wall.

 

[William Levesque]

If only they'd be 70's kind of ugly (which I like very much), now it's worse

 

[cruyff]

A shame beauty's in the eye of the beholder. And it would be quite hard to write a regulation about when a car is deemed to be ugly.

+1. We've had enough banning for enviroment/safety reasons alone, imagine designs being banned because bernie doesn't find them nice.

 

[Chris Preston]

I'm already used to it. As most people here seem to agree, it doesn't matter what nose it has as long as it's fast. Nobody believes that McLaren would say 'Well, at least ours was the prettiest' if they don't win jack.

McLaren's are the best looking there's really no doubt about it, however people have ran tests on the McLaren car with the prettier nose they have now compared to the ugly "steps" looking nose and they found the difference in performance is really unnoticeable.

 

[Xosé Estrada]

Things go wrong if you start lo regulate what is ugly or not.

 

[Hampus Andersson]

Things go wrong if you start lo regulate what is ugly or not.

They already do that though.

All these weird wings placed on cars a few years back was banned instantly. Not because they broke any rules but because it looked like crap

There´s a balance though and i think FIA has that balance right. This however i think they did not really anticipate even though looking back, they should have.
They made a mistake in the regulations not knowing that it would be possible to get even higher noses then the year before.

 

[Diego Lopez]

wait Newey is pushing this?

conspiracy of him rage quitting if they arent taken down.....a possible weakness in his desing? oh oh...lets keep the step nose then...sounds good to me.

or FIA can just go and say "lets go back to 2007 specs and looks" which we can all agree they were beastly better (remember how much RB sucked even with Newey that year )